Ornamental plants
Vahid Ghasemi; Abdollah Ehtesham Nia; Abdolhossein Rezaei Nejad; Hassan Mumivand
Abstract
Introduction
Salinity stress impairs the absorption of elements such as potassium, leads to decrease in water and minerals, or due to an increase in Na+ effects the absorption of other elements. Salinity of water and soil is one of the obstacles to the expansion of agriculture in most part of ...
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Introduction
Salinity stress impairs the absorption of elements such as potassium, leads to decrease in water and minerals, or due to an increase in Na+ effects the absorption of other elements. Salinity of water and soil is one of the obstacles to the expansion of agriculture in most part of the world. Salinity causes several physiological and morphological changes in plants and affects growth and photosynthesis. Salinity stress also affects the absorption of nutrients, and finally the plants sensitivity to stress increases. High concentrations of Nacl in rhizosphere reduce the water potential and cause physiological drought stress. In addition, salinity stress can cause ion toxicity and imbalance, which can damage the plant. Salinity stress has been shown to reduce plant biomass by decreasing photosynthetic capacity and chlorophyll content. As stress increases, stomatal conductance and CO2 assimilation decrease, which both negatively impact photosynthesis and lead to a decrease in plant growth. Dianthus is an annual or perennial plant that produces velvety flowers in various colors. Due to its resistance to cold and wide range of colors, it is commonly used in landscaping. However, limited research has been conducted on the response of Dianthus to environmental stress, making it important to investigate its behavior under such conditions.
Material and Method
This research was conducted at greenhouse of municipality of Khomein, Iran. The statistical design was used in the factorial experiment based on CRD. Experimental factors included salinity stress (0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 mM) and cultivars (Barbarin and Diana). After preparing the seeds, it is first disinfected using sodium hypochlorite and then planted in plastic pots containing soil, sand and manure. At the end of the experiment, morphological traits, stomatal conductance, photosynthesis rate, Na+, K+ and Na+/K+ was also examined. Gas exchanges were measured using an exchange measuring device (LCA4, ADC Bioscientific,Ltd., Hoddesdon, England). At the time of measuring gas exchanges, the temperature under chamber was 26-29 C and relative humidity was 58-62%. (stomatal conductivity is based on mmol/m2/s and photosynthesis in µmol/m2/s). To measure the concentration of Na+ and K+, the leaf first turned to ash (at 550 C). Then 5 ml of hydrochlorid was added to dissolve the sample and the volume of the filtered solution was reduced to 50 ml with distilled water and the concentration of Na+ and K+ was measured with flame meter. In order to measure the fresh weight of leaves and roots, plant components were separated. Fresh weight was recorded with a scale and then samples were placed in the oven (for 48 h) and weighted again to measure dry weight. Leaf area was measured with a leaf guuge device (A30325) and plant height and root length using a ruler. Statistical analysis of data was performed using Mini Tab and Excel software.
Results and Discussion
Results showed that salinity stress generally affected the growth of both carnation cultivars and reduced vegetative and reproductive growth. According to the results obtained from the study, fresh and dry weight of shoot, root and leaves, root length, plant height, stem diameter, diameter and number of flower, lateral shoot number, stomatal conductance, photosynthesis rate, K+ concentration in Diana and Barbarin cultivars decreased with increasing salinity level. Na+ concentration and Na+/K+ increased with increasing salinity and these two traits were higher in Diana than Barbarin cultivar, which indicates lower resistance of Diana cultivar. The plant's first response to stress is to reduce its leaf area, which reduces the supply of photosynthetic material to the growing parts and consequently hinders growth and flowering. Salinity stress and high osmotic potential in the rhizosphere greatly affect photosynthesis as they decrease pore conductivity. Moreover, excessive absorption of Na+ can interfere with the absorption of other elements, thereby restricting plant growth. Potassium (K+) is an essential inorganic molecule that plays a crucial role in increasing plant resistance to stress. It helps in maintaining turbidity, promoting cell development, and regulating stomatal function. In this study, salinity stress affected the growth and yield of both carnation cultivars, and with increasing stress, all morphological traits decreased. This stress also reduce photosynthesis by reducing stomatal conductance and subsequently reduce other growth characteristics. Growth reduction was observed at high salinity stress concentrations in both cultivars. However, barbarin cultivar showed higher resistance than Diana
Medicinal Plants
Maryam Yaghobvand; Hassan Mumivand; Mohammad Reza Raji; Ashkan Banan
Abstract
IntroductionThe aeroponic system is a promising technique for the future of agriculture, growing plants in an air or mist environment without the use of soil or an aggregate medium. In aeroponic, plants are suspended in a closed or semi-closed environment by spraying the plant's dangling roots and lower ...
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IntroductionThe aeroponic system is a promising technique for the future of agriculture, growing plants in an air or mist environment without the use of soil or an aggregate medium. In aeroponic, plants are suspended in a closed or semi-closed environment by spraying the plant's dangling roots and lower stem with an atomized or sprayed, nutrient-rich water solution (30). Increased aeration of nutrient solution delivers more oxygen to plant roots in aeroponic in compare to conventional hydroponic systems, stimulating growth and helping to prevent pathogen formation (1). Cultivation of medicinal plants under controlled conditions of aeroponic and hydroponic systems commercially provides a better result in terms of quality improvement, bioactivity and biomass production (5, 4).Mint (Mentha) is one of the most important genus of Lamiaceae family. Different species of the genus have high economic value, due to their active and aromatic substances and are used as raw materials in food, cosmetics, health, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. M. piperita, M. spicata and M. suaveolens are the most common and popular species of the genus for cultivation. M. aquatica is also a perennial plant of the genus that is cultivated in Europe, North and Northwest Africa and Southwest Asia (2). Aeroponic system is more cost effective than other systems. Because of the reduced volume of solution throughput, less water and fewer nutrients are needed in the system at any given time compared to other nutrient delivery systems. However, due to lack of research and sufficient technical information, the use of aeroponic system is not common among farmers and greenhouse owners. In addition, many tips are not yet scientifically known about the cultivation of different plant species in this system (4). Despite the benefits of aeroponics, no research has been previously conducted on the cultivation of different species of mint in this system. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of investigation of growth, yield and morpho-physiological characteristics of five mint species in the aeroponic system.Methods and MethodsThis study was conducted in greenhouses of faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources of Lorestan University in 2020. The experiment was performed as a split plot design. Mentha species (including M. aquatica, M. pulegium, M. spicata, M. suaveolens and M. piperita) were considered as the main plot and harvest time (first and second harvests) was used as sub-plot. In each experimental block, one row (with ten plants) of five mint species was planted. In the early stages of growth, plants were fed with half Hoagland nutrient solution and then with complete Hoagland solution. Finally, morphological and physiological traits and some biochemical characteristics of plants were measured. After harvesting the first batch of plants and in order to better evaluation of species in the aeroponics system, all studied traits were measured about two months after the first harvest. Analysis of variance was performed based on the experimental design using SAS software. The comparison of means was also done with the least significant difference (LSD) test at the level of 5%.Results and DiscussionThe results showed that M. spicata and M. suaveolens had the highest leaf to stem ratio. The highest stem dry weight and plant height were related to M. pulegium. While, the highest leaf area, leaf fresh and dry weight, stem fresh and dry weight, stolon fresh and dry weight, shoot fresh and dry weight, total plant dry weight and relative water content were related to M. aquatic, followed by M. piperita. In addition, M. piperita had shown the highest fresh root weight. The highest amount of carotenoid and chlorophyll, photosynthesis rate and CO2 under the stomata was obtained in M. piperita. In this experiment, most of the yield-attributes traits including leaf area, leaf fresh and dry weight, root fresh weight, shoot fresh weight and total plant dry weight, as well as relative water content and photosynthesis rate were higher in the second harvest than the first one.ConclusionAll studied species in this experiment were successfully growth in the aeroponic system. Due to high water use efficiency, no need for soil and high crop production, mint cultivation in the aeroponic system can be a healthy and profitable alternative to in soil cultivation approach. According to the results of the present study, M. aquatica has shown higher performance than other species in terms of the yield attributes traits (including leaf number, leaf area, fresh and dry weight of plant, fresh and dry weight of shoots and fresh and dry weight of leaves). Among the other species, the highest shoot dry weight and plant dry weight was obtained by M. piperita. Finally, the high potential of M. aquatica and M. piperita for cultivation in the aeroponic system can be concluded.
Medicinal Plants
Shirin Taghipour; Abdollah Ehtesham Nia; Hamed Khodayari; Hassan Mumivand
Abstract
Introduction
Due to their pleasant and soothing taste and odor, attractive colors, and medicinal purposes, Chrysanthemum morifolium flowers have been widely used as food, tea, ornamentation, and medicine. It has been reported that C. morifolium can reduce hyperactivity of the liver, improve eyesight ...
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Introduction
Due to their pleasant and soothing taste and odor, attractive colors, and medicinal purposes, Chrysanthemum morifolium flowers have been widely used as food, tea, ornamentation, and medicine. It has been reported that C. morifolium can reduce hyperactivity of the liver, improve eyesight and regulate cellular immunity. Pharmacological investigations have shown that Flo's chrysanthemum exhibits antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and heart-protective characteristics. Previous phytochemical studies on caffeic acid derivatives, flavonoids, triterpenoids, glycosides and alkaloids have been isolated from Flo's chrysanthemum. In this study, chrysanthemum cultivars were evaluated in terms of having secondary compounds and desirable medicinal properties, as well as antibacterial effects to introduce superior cultivars and purposeful planning for breeding research. The purpose of the present study, 25 cultivars of C. morifolium were compared in terms of essential oil content, leaves total phenolic, flavonoid and antioxidant activity.
Materials and Methods
In this experiment, 25 chrysanthemum cultivars were studied in terms of essential oil percentage, antioxidant index, total phenol and flavonoid content and antibacterial effects in a randomized complete block design in Lorestan University research farm in the year 2016. Essential oil was extracted from dried flowers in the shade using a Clevenger apparatus for 3 hours. Evaluation of antioxidant activity of the extract was measured by DPPH method based on the method of Kulisic et al. (2004). The amount of flavonoids was measured by aluminum chloride and total phenol by Folin - Ciocalteu reagent colorimetric. Ward analysis was done to classify the cultivars.
Results and Discussion
The results of analysis of variance showed that the studied chrysanthemum cultivars had significant differences in terms of all studied phytochemical traits. According to the obtained results, among different cultivars, the total amount of phenolic compounds is between 14.52-47.90 mg/g dry weight, the total flavonoid content is between 11.59-55.62 mg/g DW and IC50 index varied between 83.92 and 257.43 μg/ml. The highest amount of total phenol was present in Avadis and Dila cultivars (45.86-47.90 mg/g dry weight), while Yasamin cultivar (14.52 mg/g DW) had the lowest amount. Also, in terms of total flavonoid content, Golnar and Farahnaz cultivars had the highest total flavonoid content with 55.62 and 53.01 mg quercetin/g DW, respectively. Cluster analysis divided all studied cultivars into five groups. The percentage of essential oil among different cultivars varied between 0.41 to 0.62% and a high variability was observed in terms of the amount of essential oil in the studied cultivars. The highest percentage of essential oil was related to Farhnaz and Elmira2 cultivars. In general, the results showed high antioxidant activity of most cultivars. Therefore, chrysanthemum extract can be introduced as a suitable source of natural antioxidants. Also in this study, Paridokht, Sana and Ashraf cultivars were studied in terms of antioxidant and antibacterial index and Farahnaz and Elmira 2 cultivars appeared superior to other cultivars in terms of essential oil production. Hedaei et al. (2018) studied evaluation of some bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity of leaf methanolic extract and flower essential oil content from different cultivars of Chrysanthemum morifolium, in this review, total phenol and flavonoid contents and IC50 values in different cultivars were ranged from 17.63-33.20 mg/g DW, 12.62-53.17 mg quercetin/g, and 54-228 μg/ml respectively. The highest phenolic content was in cultivar “Poya3” (33.20 mg/g DW), whereas the cultivar “Sahand2” (17.63 mg/g DW) contained the lowest value. Also, in terms of total flavonoid content, cultivars “Marmar” and “Sahand 2” had the highest and the lowest flavonoids with 53.17 and 12.62 mg quercetin per gram, respectively.
Conclusion
The results of the present study indicate a significant difference between different cultivars in terms of the total amount of phenolic, flavonoid and antioxidant compounds that the existence of such diversity can be the role of cultivar and genetics in the production of these compounds. According to the results of this study, chrysanthemum cultivars with desirable levels of phenolic and flavonoid compounds can be used as a source of natural antioxidants as an alternative to synthetic antioxidants. In this study, Sana, Paridokht and Ashraf cultivars appeared superior to the existing genotypes in terms of phytochemical and antibacterial traits. The results of this study can be used to select the correct parents for purposeful crosses in subsequent chrysanthemum breeding programs in order to improve the phytochemical traits of existing cultivars.
Medicinal Plants
Mehdi Rastegar; Hassan Mumivand; Alireza Shayganfar; Abdolhossein Rezaei Nejad
Abstract
Introduction: In the last decades, human activities have had adverse effects on the atmosphere and the stratospheric ozone layer, resulting in an increase in the ultraviolet radiation on the ground, especially in highlands. Among living organisms, plants are the most exposed to ultraviolet rays due to ...
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Introduction: In the last decades, human activities have had adverse effects on the atmosphere and the stratospheric ozone layer, resulting in an increase in the ultraviolet radiation on the ground, especially in highlands. Among living organisms, plants are the most exposed to ultraviolet rays due to their high and unavoidable need to light for photosynthesis, and are therefore more vulnerable to them. Plants show different responses to ambient UV radiation. The response of plants to ultraviolet light is manifested in two general ways, including tolerating the destructive effects of this radiation or/and avoiding it. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of ultraviolet light on growth, morphological and phenological characteristics of three cornflower cultivars under greenhouse conditions in 2018.
Materials and Methods: The experiment was performed as a split plot in a completely randomized design. Ultraviolet light was considered as the first factor in four levels (including: control, ultraviolet –A radiation, ultraviolet -B radiation and ultraviolet A + B radiations) and three cornflower cultivars (including: ‘Kornblume pink’, ‘Kornblume rot’ and ‘Kornblume blau’) as the second factor. The UV treatment was applied by lamps made by Q-Lab Co, USA. It should be noted that the 40-watt lamps used in this study were broadband and had the highest compliance with ultraviolet B (in the case of UV-B lamps) and ultraviolet A (in the case of UV-A lamps) received from the sun on the ground. So they provided the best possible simulation. During the growth period of plants, phenological traits were recorded and morphological traits and biomass traits were measured at the end of the experiment.
Results and Discussion: The results showed that UV-B radiation and simultaneous application of UV-A and UV-B radiations resulted in the reduction of the most morphological traits and yield traits including plant height, internode length, leaf width, leaf area, flowering stem length, plant fresh and dry weight, leaf dry weight, flower dry weight and number of flowers. However, flower yield was not affected by ultraviolet radiations. UV-A treatment reduced the flowering stem length and fresh and dry weight of plant in compared to the control treatment, but it had no significant effect on plant height, leaf width, leaf dry weight, flower dry weight and number of flowers. Plants response to ultraviolet radiation is very different. In many species, it has been observed that UV-A does not have a negative effect on plant growth, while, UV-B reduced the growth and yield of plants. It seems that the main reason for the reduction of plant growth and production is prevention of cell division caused by ultraviolet radiation. Degradation of plant pigments (chlorophyll) is also one of the main reason of photosynthesis decrease led to plant growth and yield reduction. The results of the present study showed that the application of UV-A reduced the number of days until the emersion of the first flower bud and the number of days until the opening of the first flower in cornflower cultivars compared to the control. UV-B treatment forced cornflowers to earlier flowering than UV-A. However, the fastest entry into the reproductive and flowering phase of cornflower cultivars was observed with the simultaneous application of UV-A and B radiations. Plants mechanisms against environmental stresses mainly depend on their origin and genetic factors. These mechanisms include three main strategies including “avoidance”, “tolerance” and “escaping”. One of the most important ways to reduce the life cycle is early flowering. It seems that the process of early flowering and completing the growth in cornflower species is a kind of stress escaping under ultraviolet radiation stress.
Conclusion: In this study, ultraviolet radiation reduced the growth and development of all three species of cornflowers. However, UV-A treatment showed the least negative effect on flower yield of plants. On the contrary, UV-B radiation and simultaneous application of UV-A and UV-B radiations reduced the growth and development of cornflowers, but did not have any significant negative effect on the flower yield (as the main useable organ of plant). Therefore, it seems that the ultraviolet radiation can be considered as a positive factor due to its positive effects on the production of secondary metabolites and early flowering and lack of significant negative effects on plant flower yield. Finally, ‘Kornblume pink’ cultivar, with higher flower yield and earlier flowering, is more suitable for cultivation than other cultivars.
Hassan Mumivand; Abdolhossein Rezaei Nejad; Shirin Taghipour; Kobra Sepahvand; Behnam Moradi
Abstract
Introduction: Drying is one of the most important post-harvest techniques for medicinal plants. Pelargonium graveolens (known as geranium) is an important, high-value perennial, aromatic shrub that can reach a height up to 1.3 m and a lateral growth of 1 m. The essential oil of P. graveolens is extensively ...
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Introduction: Drying is one of the most important post-harvest techniques for medicinal plants. Pelargonium graveolens (known as geranium) is an important, high-value perennial, aromatic shrub that can reach a height up to 1.3 m and a lateral growth of 1 m. The essential oil of P. graveolens is extensively used in the perfumery and cosmetic industries. Medicinal plants produce antioxidant compounds, which defend cells against degenerative effects of reactive oxygen species produced during oxidative stress and metabolism. Antioxidants are molecules that scavenge free radicals and reduce/prevent their damages. Therefore, the identification of natural antioxidants as preservative agents plays a pivotal role for the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of different drying methods (microwave-drying, oven drying and ambient-drying) on drying time and some phytochemical properties of P. graveolens.
Material and Methods: In order to evaluate the effect of different drying methods on drying time and some phytochemical properties of Pelargonium, an experiment was conducted at the faculty of agriculture of Lorestan University (Khorramabad, Iran) in 2017. The experiment was carried out based on completely randomized design with 12 treatments and three replications. The drying treatments were microwave-drying (300, 600 and 900 watts), oven-drying (45, 55 and 65 °C), ambient-drying (shade-drying at room, shade-drying in the field, sun-drying for five hours and then transfer to the room shade, sun-drying for 10 hours and then transfer to the room shade, and sun-drying) and fresh samples (as control). In all drying methods, the drying process continued until the moisture content of samples reached to 12% based on dry matter.
Results and Discussion: The results of analysis of variance showed the significant effect of drying methods on total phenol and flavonoids contents, antioxidant activity and essential oil content of the plants. The minimum and maximum of drying time (4.05 min and 6 days, respectively) was related to microwave-drying (900 watts) and shade-drying in the field, respectively. The highest total phenol (14.78 mg GA per 100 g dry matter) and flavonoid (12.83 mg quercetin per 100 g dry matter) contents were observed in plants dried at room shade and field shade, while the highest antioxidant capacity (IC50=1.02) was related to the fresh samples. The plants dried in the oven (45 °C) also had a notable phenol and flavonoid contents with high antioxidant activity. On the contrary, the samples dried in the microwave and sunshine showed the lowest amount of phenol and flavonoid contents and antioxidant activity. The highest essential oil content was obtained from oven-drying at 45 °C (0.2 %w/w based on dry mater), followed by shade-drying in the field (0.17 %w/w based on dry mater), and oven-drying at 55 °C (0.15 %w/w based on dry mater). While, the lowest essential oil content occurred with microwave-drying at 900 W (0.04 w/w based on dry mater). In this study, the amount of essential oil in the microwave-drying plants was significantly reduced by increasing the power of the microwave. The decrease in essential oil content with increasing oven temperature was also observed. The decrease in essential oil content with increasing oven temperature has also been reported in other species such as peppermint, dill, tarragon and sage and could be due to evaporation of the essential oil along with moisture losing during drying process. The results of Hamrouni Sellami et al. (2012) showed that drying in microwave at 800 w increased total phenol and flavonoid levels of sage (Salvia officinalis L.). Their results showed that as the microwave power increased from 600 to 800 watts, the total phenol content increased significantly. In research by Arslan et al., (2010), the lowest total phenol content was observed in the oven dried samples, whereas the highest total phenol content was obtained from the oven-microwave treatment and sun drying. The researchers explained that this increase was probably due to the release of phenolic compounds during drying and the reason for the decrease in phenolic compounds in the oven was attributed to the high temperature. Besbes et al., (2004) also reported that with increasing drying temperature, the amount of total phenolic compounds decreases, which may be due to the destructive effect of high temperatures on phenolic compounds. In general, it could be concluded that drying in high temperature of oven and high power of microwave reduces the amount of phenolic and flavonoid compounds, antioxidant activity and essential oil content of P. graveolens. While, shade-drying and oven-drying at 45 °C showed the least reduction in these traits compared to the fresh samples.
Conclusion: It can be concluded that shade-drying at room, shade-drying in the field and oven-drying at 45°C are more suitable for the P. graveolens .While drying treatments in the microwave and sunshine are not suitable for the species. In addition, the results showed that there was a significant relationship between total phenol content and antioxidant activity in both assays.
